From Year One to Tusks, there are some technically “bad” movies you simply hate to love. Whether it’s corny storylines or weird accents, you must pick and choose the elements to root for. With that in mind, it should be established that Alex Proyas‘ Gods of Egypt is as much a guilty pleasure as any other. The plot was messy, some characters were unrelatable and let’s not get started on that dodgy CGI. Then several factors make you wonder just how historically wrong the Gods of Egypt action fantasy film is.
In their defense, Proyas went right in stating that the mythology behind the stories was more of an inspiration than a guideline. Even more, the world of Gods of Egypt never truly existed. So, vying for accuracy there is like wondering whether Star Wars or The Hobbit is historically accurate. Nevertheless, history buffs will be history buffs, and the curious will remain curious. Fall into the second category? Well, here’s how wrong Gods of Egypt is… about everything.
‘Gods of Egypt’ Criminally Watered Down the Myth of Horus and Seth — Especially Seth
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As far as mythos goes, the one surrounding Horus and Seth is one of the most significant in the intricate world of Ancient Egypt. With huge cult followings on both sides, their single and intertwined stories are layered and intense. In fact, there’s a whole body of literature that embodies their complicated relationship — “The Contendings of Horus and Seth“. Basically, the two are in a brutal battle for the throne of Egypt. But, there’s a whole contest involved that Gods of Egypt doesn’t dive into. Instead, we watch Gerald Butler‘s Seth disrupt, Horus’s (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) coronation. He kills Osiris and bags the legendary eye of Horus (wedjat) in one swoop.
While that’s one heck of a violent takeover, the actual myth is so much more complicated. From breath-holding competitions to boat races, the gods showed their prowess in different ways. Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of the story boiled down to a battle involving bodily fluids — of a sexual nature. While that would have taken the movie’s raunch level to another height, it would add depth and authenticity.
Besides skimping on details surrounding the battle of the gods, the film also portrayed Seth as a one-dimensional villain. Sure, he was no poster boy for morality. From killing his brother to trying to sexually dominate his nephew, he had a few kinks to work out. Without giving a whole lecture, here’s what to understand about him. He was associated with chaos, violence, foreigners, and deserts. While he wasn’t necessarily a force for good, he was considered a necessary god because Egyptians valued the concept of Ma’at (balance). In one of his more guardian-like roles, he had to defend Ra (the sun god) from Apophis (a terrifying serpent) to ensure the sun’s rebirth every morning. The fact that he’s got all these layers to him made his depiction in Gods of Egypt quite disappointing.
The Egyptian Afterlife Was All Wrong in ‘Gods of Egypt’
Afterlife? More like afterthought if you ask anyone who knows a thing or two about the concept of death in Ancient Egypt. Thanks to the huge collection of funerary artifacts and literature, we probably know more about their death and afterlife than their daily routines. So, a depiction of death and the afterlife without something as basic as mummies? They really dropped the ball on that one.
Even more disappointing is the fact that this was one movie that supposedly explored the terrain of the Egyptian afterlife. We’ve seen Egyptian politics and evil rogue mummies before. But here’s a movie that took a swing at making the afterlife centerstage. By that we mean, a swing-and-miss. If you’re going to make a movie about ice cream, you better research the heck out of ice cream. Likewise, a film with the afterlife so central to the plot should have done better than smacking a scale at the front of a line while the dead walked up to offer bribes in exchange for a serene afterlife.
In actuality (and this is a gross oversimplification), passage through the Underworld (Duat) involved a complex set of rituals with mummification at the helm. There were spells and charms thrown in the mix and weighing the heart against the feather of Ma’at was just one step in the grand scheme of things. Sure, all the intricacies couldn’t fit into a 2-hour 6-minute film, but a jump cut or two could have given us more than what we got.
The Ethnic Representation in ‘Gods of Egypt’ Is Unbalanced
Now, this was no secret because it caused a bit of an uproar as early as the movie’s promotional stage. The film’s cast was so predominantly white that it came off as insensitive, especially because Egypt is in Africa. Sure, the actual ethnic makeup of Ancient Egypt is up for debate to date. However, there would have been a solid balance of Middle Eastern and black African skin tones in the mix. It’s easy to make the excuse that Thoth’s part was played by a black man. Still, throwing Chadwick Boseman‘s Thoth in there was both an afterthought and a kick in the nethers. He embodied the magical “all-knowing” negro role, which is unarguably even more offensive than not having a racially diverse cast. The director, Proyas and distributor, Lionsgate issued apologies albeit when the public outrage became glaring.
Unfortunately, the depiction of Ancient Egypt in movies has suffered these whitewashing phenomena for more than a minute. From Cleopatra to Exodus: Gods And Kings and even The Mummy, the cast has been whiter than a polar bear in a snowstorm. There’s yet to be that movie that commits to racial balance as much as the need to create another blockbuster.
If you’re willing to overlook all this and a long list of inadequacies, then Gods of Egypt is a perfect guilty pleasure watch and you can find it on Prime Video.
